Elon Musk had a number of interesting things to say this week in a speech at a Tesla service center in Germany. He got the crowd fired up right off the bat, saying “We’re going to make a big investment in Germany – in fact, right now, Germany is our top focus in the world.”… Read more »
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Mercedes exec: B Class EV beats BMW i3
Daimler R&D chief Thomas Weber talked EVs in an interview this week with Automotive News Europe’s German sister Automobilwoche. Weber believes the upcoming Mercedes B class Electric Drive will be a worthy competitor for the BMW i3: “In all the key criteria, this vehicle will be at least as competitive as our competitors’ models. With… Read more »
2014 Cadillac ELR to go on sale in January for 76 grand
What’s built on the same platform as the Volt, has the same powertrain, and costs more than twice as much? The 2014 Cadillac ELR plug-in hybrid, which will go on sale in January with a sticker price of $75,995, including destination charges. GM plans to produce only a limited number of the luxury sedans, and… Read more »
Jaguar Land Rover seeks partner to develop hybrids
Like all the world’s automakers, Jaguar Land Rover is working hard to build cleaner cars. The European Commission’s emissions mandate requires a 20% reduction in fleetwide emissions by 2015. The venerable British brand isn’t exactly famous for fuel-efficient models – the rugged Defender safari mobile and Inspector Morse’s enormous red Mark 2 come to mind…. Read more »
Dutch team sets new 0-100 kph time for an electric car
A team of Dutch students has set a new acceleration record for an EV. In a recent run at Valkenburg Airport, the Delft University of Technology Racing Team achieved 100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.13 seconds, according to team manager Tim de Morée. This represents a 20% improvement over the previous record (the new record… Read more »
Japanese mining firm triples lithium nickel oxide production
“Just one word, young man: lithium!” As EV production ramps up, companies at all points in the supply line for the lightest metal are getting ready for new levels of demand, from Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who recently warned that a “truly gargantuan battery factory” will soon be needed, to Panasonic, which is investing $200… Read more »
Chrysler job postings show stirring interest in EVs
Chrysler is the least charged of the Big Three – its current offerings include no hybrids, one compliance car that it seems to be doing its best not to sell, and a stream of anti-EV comments from CEO Sergio Marchionne and other execs. However, Automotive News has found evidence that that may be about to… Read more »
Dual battery pack could give next-generation Tesla unprecedented range
Is Tesla working on a new type of hybrid pack that combines two different battery technologies to deliver a huge increase in range? This question has been floating around the discussion groups for a few months, but several outlets reported it as breaking news this week after a couple of stock analysts discovered the story… Read more »
Johnson Controls unveils Micro Hybrid battery in Frankfurt
It may not be the most glamorous piece of hardware on display in Frankfurt, but Johnson Controls’ first-generation dual-voltage Micro Hybrid battery represents a technology that some say is likely to be incorporated into almost every new vehicle within a few years. Johnson Controls says that its Micro Hybrid technology (aka start-stop technology) can offer… Read more »
Formula E race car unveiled in Frankfurt
The variety of electrified vehicles on display in Frankfurt is amazing – from huge luxury sedans to practical little city cars, they’re all plugging in. This one is at the high-speed end of the scale: the Spark-Renault SRT_01E electric race car that will be driven in the inaugural FIA Formula E Championship, the global electric… Read more »